Fluke scores poignant victory in Citation

Fluke paid a tribute to the late Bobby Frankel (Benoit Photo) Considering that the late Hall of Fame trainer Bobby Frankel was renowned for winning major turf races, and racking up numerous Southern California training titles, he received an especially fitting tribute on Friday when his former charge FLUKE (Brz) (Wild Event) captured the $300,000 Citation H. (G1) at Hollywood Park. Fluke, who was running in the name of Frankel’s longtime assistant, Humberto Ascanio, thereby gave the barn its first stakes victory since Frankel’s death on November 16. Frankel, ever an astute handicapper, may also have savored the fact that Fluke went off at a tantalizing 9-1 in the wagering in the opening event of Hollywood’s 18th Turf Festival. “Bobby told me to get him ready,” Ascanio said. “Be positive, he is training good. He was right. The horse was doing good. My job was to continue training. I’m just happy to win for him. “(Frankel) was confident. He said this horse can win. I like that. It was a tough race. I’m just happy to win it.”

Fluke was well placed early by Joe Talamo, who settled the colt into a
stalking spot along the inside. Up front, Enriched (High Brite) rattled off
fractions of :23 3/5, :48 2/5 and 1:12. The tracking Ever a Friend (Crafty
Friend) and Cowboy Cal (Giant’s Causeway) steadily increased their pace pressure
entering the far turn, while 2-1 favorite Blue Chagall (Fr) (Testa Rossa)
commenced a rally wider out.

Fluke continued to bide his time beneath a patient Talamo. When Ever a Friend
ranged up to confront the weakening Enriched in midstretch, a narrow seam
appeared, and Fluke seized the opportunity. Threading the needle between the
leaders, the four-year-old dark bay slipped through and bounded 1 1/4 lengths
clear. Fluke blitzed the firm-turf 1 1/16 miles in 1:40 2/5 to record his first
North American stakes victory. In addition to rewarding his backers with $20,
$7.80 and $4.40, he keyed the $1 exotics — $59.50 exacta, $272.30 trifecta and
$1,090.10 superfecta (1-5-6-3).

Humberto Ascanio greets Joe Talamo in the winner’s circle (Benoit Photo) “This is very emotional for me,” Talamo said. “Bobby’s the one who brought me out here (to Southern California). If it wasn’t for him, I wouldn’t be here. I watched the replay of his last race (an optional claiming victory at Belmont on September 18) and man, he came home in :22. “I’m not going to say that we knew he was going to win, but we came in with a lot of confidence. He’s a real nice horse, and I think he’s going to go on to do some big things. They weren’t really going all that fast, but into the turn I could see some of them were making early moves. In the stretch it was just a matter of finding a seam, and when he found one he really took off.” The 4-1 Ever a Friend finished second by three-quarters of a length, returning $6 and $3.80. Cowboy Cal, the slight second choice at 5-2, kept on resolutely to save third by a neck from Frankel’s other pupil, Proudinsky (Ger) (Silvano [Ger]). Show was good for $3.20. Enriched faded to fifth, followed by Skyrush (Arg) (Orpen), Monzante (Maria’s Mon) and Blue Chagall. El Gato Malo (El Corredor) and Times Gone By (Giant’s Causeway) were scratched.

Campaigned by Patricia Bozano, Fluke more than doubled his bankroll to
$308,348 from his 11-5-3-0 line. He opened his career in Brazil with two
dominating victories last year, including a 4 1/2-length score in the Grande
Premio Mario de Azevedo Ribeiro (Brz-G3). After his runner-up effort in the
Grande Premio Juliano Martins (Brz-G1), Fluke was imported to the United States.
He garnered an allowance/optional claimer second time out for Frankel in March,
but flopped in his North American stakes bow when retreating to fifth in the
Maker’s Mark Mile (G1) at Keeneland. Fluke was given more time to develop in the
optional claiming ranks in his next four outings, and responded with a dynamic 3
1/4-length tally at Belmont last time out. That effort punched his ticket into a
higher grade.

Fluke was bred by Haras Doce Vale in Brazil. His dam, Uff-Uff (De Quest), is
a half-sister to Brazilian champion two-year-old colt Cagney (Brz) (Roy), who
went on to land the Carleton F. Burke H. (G3) at Santa Anita; Brazilian Group 2
winners Malmedy (Un Etendard) and Nineties (Clackson); and Brazilian stakes
winner On the Edge (Ghadeer). Fluke’s second dam is Brazilian Group 2 heroine
Donnegalle (Campero).